CHASING rainbowsaustralian girls choir

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In life, we chase rainbows because we believe in pursuing our hopes anddreams. Some would say that chasing rainbows is setting out to achieve theimpossible; others maintain the importance of dreaming and strivingregardless of the likelihood of success or practicalities.

In 1984 my aim to create a national girls’ choir that would gain a reputation for its

ability to sing, and often dance, diverse musical styles could be likened to chasing a

rainbow; for most people at that time, a choral performance was visually static. In

2010 the Australian Girls Choir is recognised for a visually entertaining and unique

approach to choral performance, with a repertoire ranging from 16th-century

madrigals to music theatre and jazz standards.

We have been complimented on the fact that these young Australian girls have been

taught and continue to master the art of creating a multitude of tonal colours. In this

selection from our vast repertoire, we have concentrated on songs that are as

familiar, beautiful and varied as the colours of a rainbow. The tone colour must

reflect this: we hear therefore a sound that is sweet and pure in Shoshone LoveSong, warm and mature in Lullabye, fiery in Hallelujah, energetic in Orange ColouredSky, and strong and optimistic in You Raise Me Up.

As well as refining the art of varying tone colour, the girls then strive to capture and

convey the emotional mood of each of the songs. We hear the yearning in Fields ofGold, the excitement in Joyful, Joyful, the optimism in I Hope You Dance, the vitality

in Songs from a Sunburnt Country, the passion in From a Distance and the

tranquillity in Deep Peace.

Each year, 300 senior choristers from across four states combine for a week-long

music school. This year, 60 of these girls were selected to take part in three days of

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recording this CD. Soloists, some as

young as 14, were chosen to capture

the essence of a song. It was one of

the most exciting and rewarding

projects we have undertaken.

For 17 years, Mark Puddy, one of

Australia’s finest choral arrangers, has

taught and conducted girls in the AGC.

Although most of the songs are well

known, it is Mark’s intimate knowledge

of the girls’ particular abilities and

needs that has given these

arrangements an exciting and vibrant

new life. As Director of Music for this

project, Vicki King’s professionalism

and innate musicality are largely

responsible for the excellent standard the girls have achieved. The other conductors,

Katie Carey, Jane Hennessy and Kylie Lee-Archer inspire the girls and shape their

musical understanding in weekly rehearsals, while Matthew Carey’s sensitive piano

playing provides a rich accompaniment to the girls’ sound.

As Dorothy sang, ‘Somewhere over the rainbow, skies are blue, and the dreams that

you dare to dream really do come true.’ I hope every listener will enjoy the girls’

singing as much as I do.

Judith Curphey OAM

Founder and Artistic Director

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1 Fields of Gold 3’52Music and lyrics by G.M. Sumner. Arranged by Mark Puddy.Mark Puddy conductor

2 Shoshone Love Song 2’52Music by Roger Emerson. Lyrics: Traditional Native American.Katie Carey conductor

3 I Hope You Dance 3’14Music and lyrics by Tia Sillers and Mark D Sanders. Arranged by Mark Puddy. String arrangement by Anton Koch.Kylie Lee-Archer conductor

4 Deep Peace 4’18Music by Bill Douglas. Lyrics: Traditional Gaelic. String arrangement by Anton Koch.Vicki King conductor

5 They Can’t Take That Away from Me 3’58Music by George Gershwin. Lyrics by Ira Gershwin. Arranged by Mark Puddy.Mark Puddy conductor

6 For Good 4’18Music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Arranged by Mark Puddy.Jane Hennessy conductor

7 Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) 4’12Music and lyrics by Billy Joel. Arranged by Mac Huff.Vicki King conductor

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8 You Raise Me Up 3’39Music by Rolf Lovland. Lyrics by Brendan Graham. Arranged by Mark Puddy. String arrangement by Anton Koch.Vicki King conductor

9 Joyful, Joyful 3’56Music by Ludwig van Beethoven. Lyrics by Henry van Dyke. Arranged by Mervyn Warren. Adapted by Roger Emerson. Kylie Lee-Archer conductor

0 How Can I Keep from Singing? 4’01Music by Robert Lowry. Lyrics: Anonymous. Arranged by Bradley Ellingboe.Vicki King conductor

! Nella Fantasia 3’25Music by Ennio Morricone. Lyrics by Chiara Ferraù. Arranged by Mark Puddy. Vicki King conductor

@ From a Distance 4’46Music and lyrics by Julie Gold. Arranged by Mark Puddy.Vicki King conductor

£ Orange Coloured Sky 2’42Music and lyrics by Milton Delugg and Willie Stein. Arranged by Mark Puddy.Mark Puddy conductor

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$ Hallelujah! 4’16Music by George Frideric Handel. Arranged by Mervyn Warren, Michael O. Jackson and Mark Kibble. Adapted by Mark Puddy.Vicki King conductor

% Songs from a Sunburnt Country 6’09My Island Home: Music and lyrics by Neil Murray. Arranged by Mark Puddy.I Still Call Australia Home: Music and lyrics by Peter Allen. Arranged by Dan Walker.Waltzing Matilda: Music by Marie Cowan. Lyrics by A.B. Paterson. Arranged by Mark Puddy.Mark Puddy conductor

^ I’m Always Chasing Rainbows 2’12Music by Harry Carroll. Lyrics by Joseph McCarthy. Arranged by Kirby Shaw.Vicki King conductor

Total Playing Time 61’51

australian girls choir

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Judith Curphey OAMFounder and Artistic Director

At the age of 55, after a career in music and drama education spanning 30 years, Judith decided toform a girls’ choir which would challenge the standard approach to choral performance. Her aim was to create a national choir known for its unique Australian sound and visually entertaining presentation;she envisaged a choir that would not only sing a wide range of music but also perform polishedchoreography. In 2010 Judith oversees the artistic direction of the Australian Girls Choir nationally andis involved in repertoire selection, programming, curriculum and staff mentoring. Judith was honouredon Australia Day 2004, when she was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for servicesto music, particularly through the Australian Girls Choir.

Vicki KingMusic and Production Coordinator

Vicki is a highly skilled singer, performer and improviser and has been an integral part of the AustralianGirls Choir’s music team since 1993. Vicki currently conducts the Choir’s most senior vocal ensembles in Melbourne and oversees the national direction of music and production. She has studied extensivelyin the areas of improvisation, jazz, opera and music education, attaining degrees in both MusicPerformance and Music Education at the University of Melbourne. Vicki’s diverse training has kept herin demand as a singer, teacher and conductor. Over the years she has taught in a number of school,tertiary and community settings, as well as performing with the internationally acclaimed a cappellaquartet, Akasa.

Matthew CareyAccompanist

Matthew works extensively in Australia and abroad as a pianist, arranger and musical director. Hisrecent professional accomplishments have included a nomination for a Helpmann Award for hismusical direction of Metro Street, touring with Tony Award-winners Donna McKechnie and LilliasWhite, and performing with Liza Minnelli. Matthew has worked internationally on many occasionsincluding his role as Associate Musical Director for the London revival of Sondheim’s Sunday in thePark with George. He is one of the conductors of the Choir’s most senior vocal group in Adelaide andhas toured with the Choir both nationally and internationally.

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Mark PuddyArranger

Mark has worked in music education for the past 25 years and currently divides his time between hisrole as Co-Director of Music at Firbank Grammar School, conducting with the Australian Girls Choir, and writing choral works. Mark is a renowned choral clinician, composer and arranger and has over 60 published works, many of which are performed by the Australian Girls Choir as well as school andcommunity choirs nationally and internationally. Mark conducts the most senior level of the Choir inMelbourne and has been an important contributor to the music and creative direction of theorganisation for over 17 years.

Australian Girls Choir

Founded in 1984 by Judith Curphey OAM, the Australian Girls Choir (AGC) has developed a reputationfor inspirational performances to audiences in Australia and around the world.

From a group of just 150 junior girls rehearsing in the Melbourne suburb of Burwood with Judith as the sole conductor, the AGC has blossomed to 3,500 girls currently in training in Adelaide, Brisbane,Melbourne and Sydney, and the organisation has become a much-loved Australian cultural icon.

The angelic voices of the AGC have been heard at many hundreds of public performances aroundAustralia, including singing for Nelson Mandela at World Reconciliation Day Celebrations, a StateReception Dinner for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, The Boy from Oz Australian tour, André Rieu’sAustralian tour, the Melbourne Cup, the Australian Open and Carols by Candlelight. These inspirationalyoung singers have been chosen to perform alongside many of our finest musicians and entertainersincluding Hugh Jackman, John Farnham, Olivia Newton-John, Marina Prior and the Adelaide andMelbourne Symphony Orchestras.

Further afield, AGC choristers have toured on 26 occasions, with their voices reaching almost everycorner of the globe. An audience with Pope Benedict XVI, a performance for the King of Tonga, aUNICEF benefit concert at the Hanoi Opera House, G’Day USA and the Shanghai World Expo are just a few of their international accomplishments.

In addition to live performances, the AGC is in regular demand for recording projects, which haveincluded the Myer Spirit of Christmas CD, the ARIA Award-nominated album Australia’s ChristmasSpirit, the Channel 7 Olympic Theme Song and the hit single Courageous with Melinda Schneider.

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A true recognition of the Choir’s success is its selection by Qantas to represent the ‘Spirit of Australia’in the hugely successful I Still Call Australia Home advertising campaigns, which have captured thehearts of the nation. Many thousands of choristers have been involved in the filming of theadvertisements in exotic locations around the world and in hundreds of high profile performances for Qantas since 1998.

While senior choristers dazzle the world with their exciting performances, the journey begins in thejunior training levels where any girl with a love of the performing arts can take part in the AGC’s funand dynamic classes in the training levels. The founding philosophy behind this magical institution isthat any child can sing, with the correct encouragement and training.

www.aspagroup.com.au

Choristers Bonnie Addison Harriett AllcroftSamantha Andrew Meg Bate*Catherine Bateman Gemma Bellman Madelyn Brett Georgia Broderick Rosemary Byth Kristie Caccamo Enya Cai Alexandra Callahan Tahra Cannon Jemima Capper Andrea Christodoulou Emma Cole Rachel Cole Mary Cowell*Eliza Crellin*Anne Cunningham Vidya Datta

Simone David* Laura Davis Eliza De Castro Mikhaila Dignam Maddison Dowel Megan Doyle Lucy Feben Janneke Ferwerda Carlie Frisina Elise Gaudion* Lani Gibbins Courtney Harries Jessica Hegerhorst Mahony Lakshmi Holmes Brianna Kennedy Haley Koster Zoe Kouros Jordana Lee Saskia Leibowitz Stephanie Manolakos Alexandra McDermott Alicia McGorlick

Rosemary McNeil Genevieve Moseley Amy NevilleElla Pace* Aleksis Payne Hannah Peart Kate Price Nicole Rezk Scout Rigoni Lily Robinson Darcey Rogers Gabriella Russo* Gabriella Sabatino Bryony Sanaghan* Rebecca Thiele Kayla Thomas Monique Warren Tessa White

*soloists

InstrumentalistsMatthew Carey 1-% pianoKate Sullivan 3, 4, !, Lerida Delbridge 8, %, Susie Ng 3, 4, 8, !, % violinsMerewyn Bramble 3, 4, !, Justin Williams 8, % violaAlister Barker 3, 4, !, Michelle Wood 8, % celloJo To 1, 5, 9, £, $, Tristan Courtney 3, 4, 6, 8, !, @, % double bassAnne Blackburn 0 oboeJoe Geia % didjeriduKen Murray % mandolinSonja Horbelt 5, 9, £-% percussion

Executive Producers Martin Buzacott, Robert PattersonRecording Producer Stephen SnellemanRecording Engineer and Mastering Paul PentonAssistant Engineer David MantonEditorial and Production Manager Hilary ShrubbPublications Editor Natalie SheaBooklet Design Imagecorp Pty LtdCover Photo Michelle O’Kane / Flickr / Getty ImagesBooklet Photos Jamie Doolan (p3), Dale Singleton (p6), John Devine (rear inlay) Piano Technician Brent Ottley

Recorded 11, 14 and 15 April 2010 in the Iwaki Auditorium, ABC Southbank, Melbourne.

The Australian Girls Choir would like to acknowledge the contribution of the following people to the productionof Chasing Rainbows – Australian School of Performing Arts (ASPA) Advisory Board members Nigel Milan andRobyn Watts, ASPA Directors Jane Curphey and Nicole Muir, ASPA team members, in particular Libby Franke,Chris George, Chris Gould, Susanne Hardy, Dani Senior and Andrew Martin, and the many dedicated parents ofour choristers.

ABC Classics thanks Alexandra Alewood, Katherine Kemp and Virginia Read.

� 2010 Australian Broadcasting Corporation. � 2010 Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Distributed in Australia and New Zealand byUniversal Music Group, under exclusive licence. Made in Australia. All rights of the owner of copyright reserved. Any copying, renting,lending, diffusion, public performance or broadcast of this record without the authority of the copyright owner is prohibited.

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